I think like most every other little girl out there, I wanted first a pony and then a horse. I was horse (and unicorn and pegasus – good thing you can’t get a tattoo when you’re an 8 year old or I’d be wearing fantastical beasts on my biceps) mad. My father always said he was going to get me a horse. When the lumber business took off, he was going to buy me a horse. There was enough land at the farm; he had a place for one. I never got a horse. But I still wanted one.

Waiting for the show to start

I never got a horse, although for a brief while in 6th grade, I could borrow a horse. A friend – a little classmate that lived down the hill in Clintonville, Pennsylvania – I don’t even remember her name now – had several horses and plenty of room to ride. And she would let me saddle up and ride…if I was willing to muck stalls, haul in hay, and brush the horses down.

I was always willing. I didn’t care really what I had to do as long as I got to spend time with the horses. Occasionally I got annoyed because I began to notice that the once a week or so that I came over was the only time the stalls were cleaned, but to my mind, that just meant I needed to come over more often.

Out on the range

I am sure that I must have ridden a horse after sixth grade – when I moved away from Pennsylvania and back to Missouri – but I cannot remember it. My father kept promising me he was going to get me a horse, but I was beginning to realize that not only would there be no horse, probably nothing else my father was promising would come to fruition either.

Surely, though, somewhere between 12 and mid-to-who-am-I-kidding-late-30s, there have been other horses to ride, but I don’t remember them now.

I do remember, though, petting every horse that has come into my orbit, getting as close to them as possible. How do you not see them and love them?

Being at Muddy Boots Ranch with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Photography Club was a delight. I was over-joyed to be able to spend time both with photographers and with horses. The sweet babies at MBR were a delight and seemed to love putting on a show for us. I would love to go back and spend more time there.

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Thanks again to Muddy Boots Ranch for having us out. It was a lovely evening, and we couldn’t have asked for better hosts!

Comments

Aaah, I love a horse too. We had one on my parents place for a while, when I was in my early teens. Got a lot of bruises and bump – he was an old, cunning horse who knew how to get rid of an inexperienced rider – but, like you, my love still lingers 🙂

They really are beautiful creatures! I’m glad that we don’t have them – so much work, and I have to say that I’m glad my parents were smart enough to not get me one. My love might have died if I had to take care of one day in and day out. But they are lovely and the occasional visit is enough to keep the affair alive 😉

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I'm a teacher, writer, and photographer capturing the magical moments of life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast - putting my experience as a teacher and educational staff developer to work crafting stories that chronicle an experience well-lived.

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All content - pictures and text - unless otherwise noted, is my creation. All content on this site is the property of Jennifer Allen - Owner & Creator of Pierced Wonderings. Duplication and/or unauthorized use of any content on this site without express written permission is strictly prohibited.